What Lies Underneath
by rosetyler39
Summary: Rose meets a nice chap at the market, whom she fancies, which makes the Doctor jealous. Soon, he begins making outrageous accusations regarding the man, angering Rose. Or are they so outrageous? Could Rose be in danger? COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello sweeties! Another fan-fiction for you! Hopefully I'll have Chapter 2 up soon. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Doctor Who. (Wish I did though)**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 1: Where to?

The Doctor pushed his square-framed glasses back up the sweaty bridge of his nose and knitted his brow.

"Alright. Here we go now…"

He began to bring the two broken fuses together. But just as the copper ends brushed one another, a shock sent the Doctor flying backwards against the console's mess of other wires. He rubbed the back of his head, hissing in pain.

"Argh! Bloody hell!"

Right then, he heard Rose's voice call from a distance:

"Doctor, you alright?"

He looked up, eyes wide as if he were a child caught in the act of stealing from the cookie jar.

"Fine! Just fine!" He yelled back, still rubbing his head.

The Time Lord stood up, still a bit shaken. He brushed himself off, and grunted out of frustration. But then again, the fuse didn't serve too much of a purpose; it only lit the storage room after all. Once the Doctor looked up again, he saw Rose emerge from the corridor, her hair wrapped in a towel. He figured she had just hopped out of the shower.

Rose looked at the Doctor's still red cheeks.

"Oi! What were you doing down there anyway? You're redder than my lipstick!"

He blushed even darker, embarrassed.

"Ah, well… I was just… ah… working on… ah… stuff…"

"Stuff?" Rose raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… stuff."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Well, it looks like you're done with 'stuff'. So where we'll be going today?" She said as she ruffled her damp hair with the towel.

The Doctor switched his embarrassed smile into a wide grin.

"Well, Ms. Rose Tyler, I was thinking we might go on a shopping spree."

Rose was skeptical for a moment.

"Thought you hated shopping." She threw her wet towel on the ground.

The Doctor sighed and walked over to the towel.

"I do," He picked up the towel. "But I need a few things, and although I don't WANT to go, I have to. And I figured since you like to buy clothes, and jewelry, and other silly things," he threw the towel into a nearby basket, "we could make an adventure out of it!"

Rose beamed.

"I'm in!"

And with that the alien started flipping switches and punching buttons, the familiar whoosh of the TARDIS charging into the vortex bringing joy to the two travelers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello sweeties! Here's Chapter 2 for you. :)**

**Chapter 2**

It was only a few seconds before the TARDIS landed. No, CRASHED is more like it. The crash threw both Rose and the Doctor to the ground.

"Oof!" Rose rubbed her knee. "Not one of your smoothest landings."

The Doctor grinned.

"Not one of the worst, though."

Rose eased herself to her feet.

"Where are we anyway?" She said as she straightened out her shirt.

The Doctor ran over to the TARDIS doors with excitement equivalent to that of a schoolgirl's. With a grand flourish, he threw open the doors and gestured to the scene that lay before him and Rose. The awestruck companion stared for a moment. She could only say one word under her breath.

"Wow."

There were thousands upon thousands of stands selling a large variety of goods, making Rose's mouth water. The Doctor observed the sheer delight in Rose's face.

"My God, you're such a girl! Look at you; you're practically drooling at the sight of it all!" He laughed.

Rose narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, shut up."

The two walked into a chaotic scene of bidding and bargaining aliens. The Doctor looked around for a moment before looking over his shoulder at Rose.

"A bit busy today, yeah?"

"You think?" Rose said sarcastically.

He shrugged.

"Oh well. Just make sure you stay close by me, so you don't get lost."

As soon as the Doctor spotted a stand which caught his interest, he started pushing and shoving through the crowd. Rose tried her best to follow the man, but no one was letting her push through, making her incrementally more and more frustrated.

"Doctor!" she shouted. She could barely see the top of the Doctor's head. "Doctor!" So much for staying close by.

Just then, Rose was knocked down to the ground.

"Oi! Watch where you're going!"

As she struggled to get up, she noticed a hand outstretching towards her. Thinking it was the Doctor's, she grabbed the hand and was pulled to her feet.

"Thanks, Doctor," she said as she ferociously brushed herself off, still pissed off about the whole situation.

An unfamiliar voice answered her.

"The Doctor? I wish!" the voice chuckled.

Rose jerked her head up, startled. She blushed as soon as she saw who had spoken to her. He was a handsome man who looked about her age, with red hair and a goatee that matched it. He happened to be wearing a tight shirt, so it showed off his very muscular build.

"Oh… h-hi," she responded sheepishly.

The man looked at her with an almost godly glow about him. Or to her it was godly.

"A bit nervous, are we?"

Rose blushed, making the man chuckle.

"Well, let me break the ice. I'm Bernard. And you are…?"

Rose cleared her throat.

"I-I'm… Rose."

"Rose. What a beautiful name. It suits you."

Rose giggled. The two gazed at each other, when all of a sudden, the Doctor came barreling through the crowd, making people shout and curse in his direction. When he spotted Rose, he put a hand on his chest.

"Oh Rose! Thank God! I was at the stand and I turned around and you weren't there and… who's that?" the Doctor looked at Bernard.

"Oh! Doctor, this is Bernard. Bernard, this is the Doctor." Rose answered with a certain giddiness about her.

The Doctor examined the man.

"Bernard, huh? How long have you two known each other?"

Rose kept smiling.

"Only a couple of minutes. But he's such a nice man!"

It was then that Bernard stuck his hand out at the Doctor, hoping for a handshake.

"Bernard White," he smiled. "It's an honor to meet you, Doctor."

The Doctor made a big deal of avoiding the handshake.

"Yeah, hi."

He grabbed Rose's arm and pulled her to the side.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he said in a hushed tone.

Rose looked offended.

"Flirting, that's what!"

"On an alien planet?!" the Doctor said, clearly miffed.

"I've been single for a long time! It's time I met a man like Bernard!" she whispered harshly.

"You barely know him! You don't know what kind of man he is!" the Doctor argued.

"Why do you think I was trying to talk to him?! I WANT to get to know him, Doctor. He seems like a nice guy."

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair.

"Look, I've got what I need. Let's just head back to the TARDIS."

"But-" Rose began.

"Let's just go back!" He broke into an angry shout.

Rose was shocked at the sudden anger in his tone.

The Doctor rubbed his temples for a moment. "I just want to get back to the TARDIS, alright?"

Rose sighed and reluctantly grabbed the Doctor's outstretched hand. As he dragged her along behind him, she looked over her shoulder and waved shyly at Bernard, who blew a kiss back at her, making her turn a deep shade of red. Suddenly, Rose was pushed into the TARDIS, Bernard now out of sight. Before she had a chance to look at him once more, the Doctor had pulled the doors shut with a hearty slam. Almost immediately, she heard the TARDIS taking off.

"Well, I hope you're happy! You just whisked me away from a potential lover!" Rose shouted angrily.

"Listen to yourself! A 'potential lover'? You really are lovesick, aren't you?"

Rose sighed.

"I just… he was… he was the first man I've met in a while who's actually liked me back. I've missed that."

The Doctor swallowed the lump in his throat. He wanted to tell her he loved her. He couldn't. He just couldn't.

"I'm sorry for yelling Rose. I just want you to… ah… choose carefully… when it comes to men. Plus, you just met, and… well… life isn't exactly like a Disney movie, you know…"

There was a long, awkward pause. After a while, the Doctor finally spoke up again.

"Let's forget the whole thing, yeah?" The Doctor smiled, "How does Barcelona sound? The planet, not the city."

Rose was still frowning.

"Sounds great."

The Doctor sighed a frustrated sigh. Rose wasn't going to let this go so easily.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The Doctor tried his best to lighten up the mood.

"You'll love Barcelona! It's an interesting little planet. You know who inhabits it are-"

"Dogs without noses. Yeah, you told me." Rose interrupted, obviously still irritated.

The Doctor drummed his fingers nervously on the console, not sure where to steer the conversation. It was then that the two felt the TARDIS thump onto the ground.

"Here we are!" the Doctor said, relieved.

Rose stood up without a hint of excitement anywhere. The Doctor sighed a frustrated sigh.

"Rose, I'm not going to have you sulking. I just want to have a nice outing with you, but pouting isn't going to make it nice at all! He's a man that you knew for five seconds, not a lifetime. Get over it so we can have a nice lunch."

Rose took a deep breath.

"You're right."

But the Doctor had a feeling she was only saying it to drop the subject. He just sighed.

"Hungry?"

Rose nodded solemnly.

"I know a great restaurant here that has the best food. You'll love it," he said, ready to get their minds on something else.

The eatery wasn't too impressive in terms of décor, but it was nicer than most places on Earth. A dog-like creature, without a nose, was swift in tending to the Doctor and Rose, directing them to a table and placing their menus in front of them. The Doctor, earlier, had clarified to Rose that their waitress was indeed female, just to avoid awkwardness later on.

"Would you like to start out with some alcoholic beverages?" the waitress asked.

"I think we're alright," the Doctor smiled.

The waitress nodded. Just as she turned to walk away, she noticed Rose's solemn expression.

"How about I bring this one here a Nebula? On the house."

"That might be just what she needs," the Doctor nodded.

The woman winked.

"Be right back."

It wasn't too long before a drink was placed before Rose, and the waitress was tending to another table. Rose stared at the drink for a long time, watching its contents swirl around and shimmer like a real nebula. The Doctor permitted the silence, not wanting to offend Rose any further. It was Rose who finally broke it.

"I'm being silly."

The Doctor looked up, surprised by the sudden break in silence.

"What?"

"I'm being silly," Rose said again. "He's one man in the entire universe." She paused for a moment. "You're right. I need to stop moaning. Life goes on!" She smiled as she chugged the entire drink down.

The Doctor smiled a wide smile.

"Glad you see things my way."

The two ordered their food, and the waitress was back in moments with it. Rose took a bite, and immediately lit up.

"This is amazing!" Rose squealed with delight.

"What did I tell you?" the Doctor laughed, mouth full of salad.

"Just one question: Why doesn't the food have a smell?" Rose asked.

"Dogs without noses, remember? They can't smell anything, so there's no aroma to the food. They figure if they can't smell it, why have a scent to it?"

"Ah."

They continued laughing and reminiscing during their meal, not once bringing up the charming red-headed man whom Rose had been so distraught over only moments earlier. Things were back to normal. It was bliss for Rose, and a complete relief for the Doctor. Just then, the two heard someone clearing their throat, right beside their table.

"Room for one more?" said a man's voice.

The Doctor face-palmed himself.

"You have GOT to be kidding me."

Rose gasped. Right next to the table was the same red-headed man, smiling his big bright smile, sporting the same tight, tight shirt. Bernard White.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello Sweeties! Sorry it took so long to update. Here's Chapter 4, finally!**

**Chapter 4**

"How in the HELL did you find us?!" the Doctor said, exasperated.

Bernard grinned.

"Well, Doctor, I happen to have a ship too. I just followed your box-"

"TARDIS," the Doctor said through gritted teeth.

Bernard rolled his eyes, "…TARDIS."

Rose was even a darker pink than she usually was.

"You mean, you followed us to get to _me_?"

Bernard put a hand on her shoulder.

"I had to get to know you more."

The Doctor stood up in a huff.

"Well, you've interrupted our lunch. You may as well finish it for me." He gestured to the chair, and Bernard wasted no time sitting down in it. The Doctor gritted his teeth. "I'll be in the TARDIS." And with that he stomped off.

Rose sighed.

"Sorry 'bout that. He can be so rude. You want some food?"

"None for me, thanks. I just want to get to know you." Bernard rested his chin on his hand.

Rose giggled.

"Well, I'm not too interesting of a person."

Bernard smiled.

"It doesn't matter to me."

Then, all of a sudden, Bernard began to twitch.

"You alright?" Rose looked concerned.

"I'm fine!" Bernard feigned a smile.

Then he started to scratch his arm furiously.

"Excuse me." He said, his voice quavering.

Then he shot up from his chair and ran to the bathroom.

The Doctor turned back for a moment, only to see Rose and Bernard giggling like little children. He was practically fuming. He was startled by a tapping on his shoulder.

"Sir, are you alright?" It was the waitress.

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, fine. Is there a restroom here?"

The waitress pointed to a doorway right next to the kitchen.

"Thanks," the Doctor said flatly.

He stormed into the restroom, almost running into the mirror. He stared at his reflection for a moment, realizing how jealous he was. He sighed.

_Why don't you just tell her?! If you love her, let her know!_

The Doctor shook his head.

_No. No you can't. You've dealt with enough heartbreak; this would be too much_.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching the restroom. Panicked, he ducked into a nearby stall, locking it behind him. He peeped through the crack between the door and the next stall, catching a glimpse of who had run into the bathroom. He recognized it as Bernard. Bernard was scratching away at his skin.

_Drugs, most likely. _The Doctor sniffed.

The Doctor's thoughts were interrupted by a horrible sight. As Bernard kept scratching his arm, his skin started to peel. He started peeling away the rest of his skin, revealing a monster resembling the stuff of nightmares. The Doctor watched as the creature dug something out of a satchel on its hip. It was a syringe filled with a green liquid. As it injected the liquid into its arm, the creature began morphing back into what the Doctor had come to know as Bernard. It shrieked an ungodly shriek, crumpling to the floor. The creature was on the floor for only a second before it stood up, looking human once more. It looked in the mirror and smiled an almost sinister smile, before leaving the bathroom. The Doctor slowly unlocked the stall door, his jaw still hanging open from what he had just witnessed. Then it hit him:

"I have to tell Rose."

He raced out of the bathroom to Rose's table; all he found was an empty martini glass and dirty dishes. He ran outside of the restaurant, ignoring the calls of the staff, angry he had forgotten to pay. The Doctor's head snapped back and forth, desperately looking for Rose and... that thing. He finally caught sight of the both of them, walking hand-in-hand towards a ship, which he assumed was the monster's.

"Rose!" He shouted, running towards her. "Rose!"

He grabbed the girl's hand, stopping in his tracks.

"Rose! What are you doing?!" he asked through his tired pants.

"Bernard's just giving me a tour of his ship. I'll be back in a bit." Rose assured him.

"You can't Rose!" he shouted.

Bernard, or more appropriately the monster, glared at the Doctor.

"Doctor," it said through gritted teeth, "I assure you that everything is fine."

"Rose, you can't! He's…" the Doctor began whispering into Rose's ear, "A monster."

Rose laughed.

"Very funny, Doctor. He's really alright."

The Doctor rubbed his temples.

"Rose, listen to me! I saw him in the bathroom. He changed into some sort of monster. One I've never seen before! You can't be anywhere near that thing!"

Rose looked shocked.

"I can't believe you're saying these things! Bernard's a good man! Why don't you just go back to the TARDIS and deal with your issues alone?!" Rose shouted at him.

The Doctor was awestruck as he watched the two walk into the ship, closing the door behind them.

"Rose, no!" he shouted after her. He ran up to the ship, rapping on the door of the ship. "ROSE!" He tried scanning the door with his screwdriver, but even that didn't work. Defeated, he leaned against the ship, sinking down to the ground.

_Damnit._

All of a sudden, he fell onto his back, as he lost the support of the ship. Struggling to his feet, he watched in horror as the ship took off with his beloved companion on board.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Rose heard the door shut behind her.

"Oi! Why'd you shut the door?!" she yelled at Bernard, a bit concerned.

Bernard smiled at her.

"Just want to make sure the Doctor doesn't storm the ship. How on earth do you tolerate him?"

Rose sighed.

"I've just come to accept that that's who he is. He may not be the most tolerable man, but he's fun."

"If you want to travel with someone, why not travel with me?" Bernard asked.

Rose was wide-eyed.

"Oh, well, I…I don't know. I don't think the Doctor would approve…"

Bernard sneered.

"If the Doctor cares about you so much, why did he let you come onto a ship with a dangerous man?"

Rose raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Bernard chuckled.

"Oh Rose. Silly, naïve Rose. So desperate for attention. So desperate for love. If only you knew the truth."

Rose started backing away.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Bernard grinned even wider.

Before Rose could comprehend the situation, gas started filling the ship.

"Sleep well, human." Bernard laughed.

Rose started feeling faint. She gasped.

_The gas!_

She took her jacket sleeve and reached up to her face, covering up her mouth and nose. She couldn't breathe the gas in; she had to get out! Rose raced over to the door, banging on it, shouting through her sleeve:

"Let me out! Let me out, please!"

Her rapping became weaker and weaker, until finally she couldn't keep her eyes open. It was pointless anyway; the ship was taking off. The last thing she said before collapsing unconscious was the one name that made her feel safe.

"Doctor."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Rose opened her eyes slightly, only to find that her vision was blurry. She had to blink a few times before she could see anything clearly. Once her vision was somewhat restored, she was able to explore her surroundings. Rose found herself covered in bits of hay. When she stood up and brushed herself off, she found herself face to face with cell bars.

_Where the hell am I?!_

Rose started panicking. She had no idea where she was or why she was there. She just knew she had to get out. As she was pacing around, she heard footsteps approaching her cell. She stopped dead in her tracks and faced the bars. Rose was shocked to see Bernard standing on the other side. She was fuming now.

"Where the hell am I?!"

Bernard was smiling a wide smile.

"Never you mind." He laughed, "I can't believe you fell for me! But I suppose that makes my plan so much simpler."

"What are you talking about? What plan?" Rose was stammering.

"I've traveled the universe looking for the Doctor for centuries. He destroyed my people before the Time War, and I've been out seeking revenge ever since." Bernard was sneering.

"What does that have to do with me?!" Rose shouted, trembling.

"You travel with the Doctor. And based on what I've seen, you care a lot about him, and he cares a lot about you. There's no doubt in my mind that he'll come looking for you. You're the perfect bait." Bernard looked almost sinister.

Rose got very quiet.

"Wait… you said 'my people'. I thought you were…"

Then Rose came to a sudden realization. She recalled the Doctor talking about Bernard being a monster. Rose backed up against the wall in her cell.

"What are you?" she asked quietly.

Without hesitation, Bernard started scratching away at his skin, peeling it off until it was all on the floor in fleshy little bits. Rose was horrified at the sight of what used to be Bernard.

"Oh my God!" she screamed.

What stood before her wasn't a man, but was some sort of alien. A horrifying alien. It had dark scaly skin, a forked tongue, sharp claws, and a head that resembled that of a lizard's. The scariest part of it was how large the creature was. It was so tall and muscular that Rose feared it could easily tear her head off.

"What do you think?" the creature hissed.

Rose was speechless. The alien started laughing.

"Well, I'm much more comfortable now. So what do you say we pass the time while we wait for your Doctor?"

It unlocked the jail cell and walked inside.

"Tell me about him. His strengths, his weaknesses, his back-story. I know he won't go down without a fight, and anything will be useful against him."

Rose got into a defensive stance.

"No. I won't. And I don't care what you do to me. And anyway, I know that the Doctor's smart enough to know that this is a trap. Don't expect him to come here."

The alien sighed.

"Oh Rose, it pains me to do so, but I'm afraid if you won't talk on your own, I'll have to make you."

Rose held her head up high.

"Whatever you do to me, I can take."

The creature bent down to whisper into Rose's ear.

"Tell me my dear: are you afraid of pain?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"No, no, no, no, NO!" the Doctor shouted.

He didn't even think; his feet were just hitting the pavement, alternating left and right. Running to the TARDIS. He wasted no time in flinging the doors of his spaceship open and dashing to the console. Flipping switches and pressing buttons frantically, the Doctor was whispering pleas under his breath, wishing Rose to be unharmed. When he heard the reassuring _whoosh _of the TARDIS, the Doctor yelled to it:

"Follow that ship!"

And off they were to save Rose Tyler.

**X**

Rose felt another painful blow against her cheek.

As furious as the blows were, the alien spoke calmly and quietly.

"Talk."

Rose was terrified, but she didn't give in to the pain or the fear. She only allowed herself to taste the blood on her lip. Then, the creature started scratching her. It started with her arms and moved on to her chest, tearing through her jacket and undershirt. But Rose didn't scream. She just gritted her teeth, desperately thinking of a plan.

Hours passed without a trace of the Doctor anywhere, to Rose's relief. At least he was being reasonable. The alien had taken another break from Rose, frustrated that she wouldn't break. Even in its absence, Rose refused to cry. The creature would surely see her tear-stained face. Her head ached, as well as her bruises and scratches. The scratches weren't too deep, but they stung like crazy. Rose suddenly had an idea.

_What if there's an escape pod? If I could just get past this bloke…_

Soon, the alien came trudging back to the cell.

"Well, Rose. You aren't easy. But you have two options at this point: Talk or die."

"You forgot the third option," Rose said quietly.

"And what's that?" The alien laughed.

"GETTING THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Rose yelled.

She kicked the alien in the groin, making it whimper and crumple to the ground. Rose then stood up, and made a dash for the cell door, which the alien had foolishly left open. Rose ran down the long corridor, not caring how much her muscles ached or how much breath was caught in her throat. She just kept running, increasing her speed when she heard an angry bellowing behind her. Thankfully, there was a staircase only a few feet in front of her. As soon as it was within grabbing distance, Rose latched onto the railing and raced up the steps. She was faced with the console room (where she had been gassed beforehand) and frantically searched for an escape pod of some sort. The creature was fast, because it was up the stairs and cornering Rose in a split second.

"One option," it growled, as it lifted her up by her throat.

All of a sudden, the two felt a rumbling, as if something had crashed into the ship. Then, almost without a moments delay, the ship's door crashed open, revealing a familiar pinstriped Time Lord in a brown trench coat. He grinned.

"Did somebody call a Doctor?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Rose's heart dropped down into her stomach. The Doctor was here, putting himself in danger. She wanted to tell the Doctor to get out, to run away. She wasn't worth it- especially after what she said to the Doctor.

"Let her go!" the Doctor yelled.

It was hard for her to stay remotely conscious. She couldn't breathe beneath the grip of the creature.

"Very well Doctor," the creature sneered as it dropped Rose to the ground.

Rose gasped for air, clutching her throat at the same time, trying to rub away the pain. The Doctor grimaced at the scratches and bruises on Rose's body. But he'd have to deal with those later. Right now, he had a bone to pick with this alien.

"Right, first thing's first, who are you? Or moreover, what are you? An alien obviously. Species? Planet? Tell me. You owe me that much, after injuring my companion."

The alien growled.

"You really don't remember, do you?" He paused. "Remember your enemies Doctor. Each and every one before the Time War. Your people and my people were the greatest enemies, among many others."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow in thought.

"You destroyed my people. We were willing to make peace, but you destroyed us before we could do anything. Do the Rylkin ring a bell?"

The Doctor laughed out loud.

"That's right! Ha! Long time, no see!" the Doctor shook the alien's hand furiously. "Well, it's been fun, but Rose and I really need to get go-" he was cut off with the alien flinging him across the room.

"Doctor!" Rose yelled.

The Doctor shot up almost immediately, rubbing the back of his head.

"Nice shot! If I weren't mistaken, I'd say you've gotten stronger! Vengeance seeking certainly has done you some good!" He got into a comical fighting stance, "Bring it on, lizard boy!"

The creature charged towards him, hissing loudly. The Doctor, at the last second, dove out of harm's way, sending the alien into the console, sparks flying. It growled in pain as circuits and wires cut into his face.

"Come on big boy!" the Doctor challenged.

Without warning, the alien had grabbed the Doctor by the collar, hissing in his face. Rose grunted as she stood up clumsily. She saw the Doctor in the creature's threatening grip, and immediately grabbed the closest thing she could find that could be used as a weapon. She grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran up to the creature.

"Oi!" she yelled, making the creature crane its neck, "Back off! That's my Doctor!" She took the fire extinguisher and sprayed it square in its eyes.

It screeched, dropping the Doctor on the floor, and barreled towards Rose. Before Rose could move out of the way, the creature had her pinned down.

"Doctor!" she screamed.

The Doctor wasn't sure what to do. Then he remembered something. Something about the Rylkin.

"Scream as loud as you can!" the Doctor shouted back. "It's been a while, but I remember that the Rylkin hate high-pitched sounds!"

"Would've been great to know this a while ago!" Rose shouted.

Mustering every bit of strength she had left in her body, she screamed an extremely loud and high-pitched scream which made the alien screech and cover its ears. It backed away and faced the open spaceship door, writhing in pain. The Doctor wasted no time in charging the alien and pushing it with such force that it stumbled out the door. He watched as it slipped and fell off the walkway that the TARDIS had built between itself and the ship. He looked at the alien's face as it fell and saw it look at him so spitefully. He couldn't bear to look at it anymore. The Doctor turned away, his eyes meeting with Rose's. She looked so scared.

"Rose!" the Doctor ran over to her, slipping a hand behind her back to support her as she propped herself up on her forearms.

"Is he dead?" she squeaked.

The Doctor nodded his head.

Rose's eyes were wide.

"Good."

"You alright?" the Doctor ask softly.

Rose started to nod, but her lip started to tremble. Then a tear fell. Then another. And soon her whole body was racked with sobs.

"Shhhhhh, it's alright." The Doctor held her against him and let her cry. It broke his hearts to hear Rose cry like a child. He couldn't help but shed a tear as well. He hugged her close, and she draped her arms around his waist, holding him even tighter. The two sat there for a while, holding each other in a tight embrace, until Rose cried herself to sleep. The Doctor picked up Rose's fitful form, bridal style, her head resting against his chest, one arm draped around his neck. Without another word, he carried his injured companion to the TARDIS.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello sweeties! Last chapter, I'm sad to say. :(**

**Chapter 9**

The Doctor sat in the pilot's chair, his hands on his face. It had been at least 6 hours since the incident, and Rose had been in her room all the while. He'd wanted to knock on her door, but decided against it. She'd been through a lot, and having to be repaired by a dermal re-generator wasn't exactly revitalizing. He just hoped she'd come out soon. Right on cue, Rose came shuffling into the console room.

"Hey," she said.

The Doctor looked up.

"Hello! How are you feeling?"

Rose leaned against the console.

"Fine. Thanks to you," she smiled.

The Doctor grinned.

"It's what I do."

Rose walked over to the pilot's chair and knelt next to the armrest.

"I wanted to talk to you. I just… well… I just... I wanted to say… well… I'm sorry. I was so blind and I shouldn't have been so quick to judge and-"

The Doctor stopped her.

"Rose, it's alright. I'm just glad you're alive."

"If you hadn't shown up, I wouldn't be," Rose insisted. "I wouldn't blame you if you hadn't."

"Don't talk like that Rose!" the Doctor put his hand on Rose's cheek. "I would never abandon you like that!" The Doctor stroked her hair. "And plus, I know when I'm right. You may doubt me," he stood up, "but I don't," he smiled as he tousled her hair.

Rose giggled.

"You're such an egomaniac." She walked over to his place at the console.

"What do you expect? I'm the Doctor," he grinned.

"Which is your only good excuse," Rose smiled.

She watched the Doctor for a while as he pressed a few buttons here and there, occasionally glancing at the monitor.

"Doctor?" she said, suddenly, startling the man.

"Yes? Is everything alright?" He rushed over to Rose, looking her over. "Need more painkillers?"

Rose shook her head.

"No, I'm alright. I just…"

"Yes?" the Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"I just… thought I should say thanks… if I haven't already," Rose smiled.

The Doctor put his hands on her shoulders.

"Anytime." He smiled back at her.

He didn't expect Rose to wrap her arms around his neck in a big hug. His arms flew up in surprise, but eased down and hugged her back. Feeling her heart thump in a steady and safe beat gave him a sense of relief, and her warmth gave him comfort.

"Rose Tyler, I…" he started to say.

"Hm?" Rose looked up at him.

"Nothing," he sighed. "You ought to get some more rest," the Doctor said to her as their hug loosened. "Your body needs it."

Rose nodded.

"Yeah. I am feelin' a bit tired. See you in the morning?"

The Doctor kissed her forehead.

"Bright and early."

**The End**

**Hopefully you guys enjoyed the fanfic!**


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